God’s Recipe for a Productive Week

Psalm 1:6 

…for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,  but the way of the wicked will perish.

Have you ever met someone you felt that you had known already for a long time?  Often, when people have a similar background or come from the same home town, they have so much in common that they feel that they know each other already.  

I remember being in the basement of a church.  This particular church belonged to a different denomination than my church.  Despite being a different denomination, the church felt very familiar.  I was comfortable there.  At first, it would seem, that the commonality was that the church was founded by German immigrants.  The descendants of the founders were still among the members of the church.  My church was also from German immigrants. That would account for something.  But, there was more.  

The main thing that made me feel at home was that the church was a Christian church.  Though we had different doctrinal understandings, we had the same God.  Jesus Christ was the Savior proclaimed in that church.  Despite the differences that I knew existed, I felt that I knew them because I know their Lord Jesus.  

If this is true from the perspective of a limited ability to know someone, how much more is this true for God who searches our hearts.  Through baptism are welcomed into God’s family through the gift of faith. In this faith we are renewed in our inner bring by God the Holy Spirit. We are taught to know Jesus Christ and His gift to us through the cross for our forgiveness and eternal life.  As we grow in faith, we are changed from being God’s enemies into being God’s friends.  Jesus Himself called us HIs friends and speaks openly to us in His Word the Bible.  Through God’s Word we come to know God, and God helps us so that our lives are no longer confused and painful due to sin.  Instead, as we learn to know His ways, we are walking the familiar path of Jesus.  His path leads to eternal life.

The way of the wicked will perish, but thanks be to God, …the Lord has placed us on the way of the righteous.  Through faith in Jesus, sins forgiven and lives restored, we walk with Him to life everlasting where we will not only perfectly know God but we will at last be perfectly united with each other in the joy of God’s eternal kingdom of all His Saints in light.

Let us pray

I thank you God for your patience, mercy, and grace.  You know me and have saved me through your Holy one, Jesus.  Help all your children through faith to continually walk in His path to life eternal.  Helps us to care for one another and rejoice in this, that you know our ways and lead us to walk in Jesus’ steps.  In HIs name, AMEN

The Lord’s Prayer